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Self-publishing and collection development

Recently I was asked to read and write a blurb for a new title. It's called Self-Publishing and Collection Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Libraries, edited by Robert P. Holley. Purdue University Press: West Lafayette IN 2015.

I wrote, "This outstanding compendium makes several important points. First, self-publishing is out of its infancy -- now accounting for over half the intellectual output of our culture. Second, this explosion of literature has finally gotten our collective attention. Self-publishing has forced us to look afresh and more critically at the value and costs of editorial processes, book design, pricing, distribution, bibliographic control, marketing, reviewing, and library relations with authors. Third, most of the pieces here are from colleagues who aren't writing from the outside anymore. Astute vendors, public librarians, academic librarians, and even librarians who are also self-published authors now are in the thick of things, eyes open and taking names.

"I recommend Self-Publishing and Collection Development not just for university and large public libraries. It belongs in every public library, every community college, every university, and any high school that still has a budget. This is where the revolution begins, and the lively profiles of key players and issues is a snapshot not just of library history, but of a transformative moment in the history of publishing."

The good news: the price is reasonable, too: $14.99 for the epub, $29.95 for the paperback. Order info here.

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